Home sales statewide and in the Milford area jumped by double digits last month when compared to April 2011, which local real estate agents hope shows the housing market is rebounding.

There were 3,505 single-family home sales in Massachusetts last month, up almost 22 percent from the 2,877 sales in April 2012. Sales in communities in the region grew by about 13 percent, according to statistics released yesterday by The Warren Group.

April was the fourth consecutive month that sales grew when compared year-over-year, according to the Boston-based company.

“I think we’re at the turning point,” said Marjorie Yale, the owner of Northborough-based Weichert ComVest Realty. “I’m seeing builders buying land, which they haven’t done in the last few years. That means we’re going to see more new construction and that’s one of the signs of turning.”

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported yesterday that the median selling price for single-family homes last month was $282,450, up 2.7 percent from April 2011, the first increase in seven months.

Christine Molla, of Costello Realty in Franklin, said prices had fallen to the point that first-time buyers could purchase a home without spending much more than they would pay for rent, creating a surge in sales of starter homes. That trickles up the market as sellers of starter homes seek a more expensive second home, she said.

“There was pent-up demand,” said Kathy Helliwell of Hammond Residential Real Estate in Framingham. “People were afraid to buy in the last couple years and all of a sudden they only could wait so long before meeting their housing needs.”

Sellers, meanwhile, understand the market is not going to reach 2005 levels and are willing to sell for a little less than they had initially hoped, said Franklin Town Councilor Andrew Bissanti, a broker and appraiser at Bissanti Realty.

“I think banks are going to have to hold interest rates steady,” Bissanti said of what needs to happen to continue the trend. “If rates tick up a bit, I think it’s going to scare away (buyers).”

Brian Benson can be reached at 508-626-3964 or bbenson@wickedlocal.com.